The Obama Administration wants to hit individuals and groups located outside the United States with financial sanctions if they launch cyberattacks taking aim at US economic stability, national security or the country's foreign policy.

The United States has a lot more to lose when compared to other countries in the current cyberwar landscape, and trying to find adequate defensive strategies has been difficult. However, Obama hopes its latest executive order, giving the US Treasury Department the ability to freeze assets, will make some cybercriminals think twice.

Anything from attacking critical infrastructure and using trade secrets for an advantage in the cyber landscape to disrupting computer networks and causing mass data breaches could lead to sanctions.

"From now on, we have the power to freeze their assets, make it harder for them to do business with US companies, and limit their ability to profit from their misdeeds," Obama noted.